ECAM Forum to Host First FINDE Indie Film Financing Event
The ECAM Forum’s Co-Production Market in Madrid will host on June 12 FINDE, a new Financing Independent Cinema initiative aiming at bringing together Spain’s indie film sector and the ecosystem of private investment.
Spearheaded by top Spanish film school and cultural foundation ECAM and the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, the industry day is meant to “bridge the gap between traditionally isolated sectors, breaking down barriers and demystifying key concepts about private investments in film”, the partners said.
During the intensive day, 100-plus accredited ECAM Forum participants will be invited to hands-on training on equity and private investment in film, networking sessions with investors and presentations of international funds. Also on the program are round-tables between heavy-weight players from the private and public sector and selected indie producers from outfits including Tornasol, Elastica, BTeam, El Deseo, Beta Fiction, Morena Films and Avalon.
Top international experts in attendance take in Rémi Burah, ARTE/Cofinova general director, Giorgos Karnavas, CEO of leading Athens-based production and sales powerhouse Heretic – attached to the upcoming Willem Dafoe-led “The Birthday Party” co-produced with Spain, the Netherlands and the U.K. – and Alexandra Lebret, Axio Capital partner and former head of the European Producers Club.
Lebret will be pitching to Spanish producers the recently launched €58 million ($66 million) Together Fund, billed as first European equity fund dedicated to small and mid-sized indie producers of scripted content, to which the European Investment Fund, has already committed €25 million ($28.5 million).
Commenting on the new indie film financing meetings at ECAM Forum, Avalon CEO Stefan Schmitz said: “I think it’s a good idea to introduce more private money into the [audiovisual] sector and I’m curious to the see the results on FINDE.”
“We are delighted to collaborate with the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster to discuss and promote new trends and financing models for our industry, and to help independent and emerging cinema gain access to these new models,” said Alba Wystraëte, head of ECAM.
Teresa Azcona, head of Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, who designed FINDE together with ECAM Forum and producer Sophie Erbs, added: “This event will allow us to go further with our strategy to improve the audiovisual sector’s access to financing, both for companies and for projects. This way, we can strengthen our increasingly dynamic ecosystem and contribute to making Madrid the capital of audiovisual industry financing.”
According to Madrid Audiovisual Cluster – backed by the City Council and the Community of Madrid – the audiovisual sector already accounts for around 2.6% of the Spanish capital’s GDP.
